Orchestra or street drum



May 3, 1938. s. H. NEWEERRY ORCHESTRA 0R STREET DRUM Filed April '7,1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTdRNlY y 1938- s. H. NEWBERY 2,115,741

ORCHESTRA OR STREET DRUM Filed April 7, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY 9INVENTOR v Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to musical instruments and more particularlypercussion drums, in general banjos, ukuleles and mandolins, usingmembrane heads and generally to a musical instrument using a stretchedmembrane head, has particularly to do with mechanism for tightening themembrane and is an improvement upon the prior Patent No. 1,901,765,granted March 14, 1933, for Drum head tightener.

An important object of the invention is the elimination of the use oftension rods of the usual type and more specifically the retainersemployed in my prior construction, so that the exterior of the drum canbe made smooth and the drum shell will be left free for engraving orother adornment without interference from such elements.

A further object of my invention is the provision of means in a drumwhereby the drum may be readily converted from the orchestra type to thestreet drum type.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of meanswhereby a double adjustment of the drum head may be effected inapplication thereof, that is to say in applying the drum head to one orthe other of the types of shells for which it is adapted, the head maybe given a differential adjustment independent of the adjustmenteffected after the general plan of my prior patent aforesaid.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means whereby thesnares may be instantaneously released from the drimi, therebypermitting its immediate transformation from the ordinary snare drum. toany other type of drum. These and other objects are attained by theconstruction set forth in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is aperspective View of a drum constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the head adjusting mechanism common toboth the batter and snare heads of the drum.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the lower part of the drumillustrating the positioning of the snare adjustments.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the drum shell sections.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the snare release, and

Figs. '7 and 8 are perspective views showing the different types of drumobtainable with the use of my construction by minor manipulation.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings the numeral I0designates the drum shell which at its upper and lower ends has portionsll of reduced diameter connected to the main body of the shell bysubstantially horizontally extending shoulders I2. The extremities ofthe reduced portions are flanged inwardly and toward the center of thedrum as indicated at [3 so that these upper surfaces may provide asmooth surface for the reception of the membrane or head 14. Engagedwith the shell Ill and more particularly the main body thereof throughbayonet slots l5 are head tighteners l6, each comprising a cylindricalwall ll, the upper end of which is reverted in spaced relation to theouter wall as indicated at [8, thus providing a channel l9. Within thischannel I9 is arranged an upper cam ring 20 having a series of ratchetlike teeth 2| adapted to coact with a similar cam ring 22 which liesagainst the wall I! at the inner surface thereof and is held in positionby means of a lug or lugs 23 (which are carried by said tighteners)engaging in slots 24, which parallel the edge surfaces of the teeth ofthe lower cam ring. The upper cam ring may be adjusted with relation tothe lower cam ring through a rotating member 25 mounted in the opposedwalls provided by reverting the upper end of the head tightener wall andprovided with a small pinion 26 engaging with racks 21 formed on theupper and lower cam rings 2|] and 22. The lower cam ring abuts directlyagainst the head hoop 28 forcing it downwardly in the annular channelprovided between the inset portion of the shell and the wall ll of thetightener. An additional quick tightening means is readily provided byforming the bayonet slot I5 in its normally horizontal position with aslight incline as shown, and by forming in this incline portion and.more particularly the upper surface thereof, a plurality of coves 29 inwhich the stud or pin 30 may be selectively engaged.

Obviously with a structure of this character it is possible toimmediately interchange the tighteners and heads associated therewith indifferent types of shells so that the drum may in the course of a fewmoments be converted from the ordinary orchestra drum to a street drumand vice versa. To accomplish this it is merely necessary that thetighteners be bodily rotated to disengage the bayonet slot connectionsbetween the shell then in use and the tighteners and then to reverse theoperation and secure the tighteners to the second shell. Thus the costof a set of drums may be materially reduced. The lower tightener has itsrevertedportion equipped with mountings for the snare. These mountingsare designated as a tightener 3| and a release 32. The tightener 3|needs no specific description comprising merely the usual snare cordattachment 33 and adjusting screw 34 therefor. The snare release,however, comprises a novel construction illustrated more particularly inFig. 6 of the drawings. It is composed of a toggle including fixed andmovable elements 35 and 36, movement of the movable element being guidedthrough slots 31 included in the bracket 39, in which the mechanism ismounted. A lever 39 is pivoted in this bracket as at 4!] and has one armthereof connected by a link 4| to a pivot 42 connecting the links 43 ofthe toggle mechanism. Suitable cords 44 are attached to the lower ormovable element 36, and are passed up and over the stationary member 35,which is arranged in close proximity to the snare head and may beadjusted with relation thereto by reason of the fact that the securingelements attaching the bracket 39 are passed through slots 45. Thetoggle mechanism. is so spaced from the inner wall of the bracket thatthe tension of the cords 44 will in the tightened position of thesecords, which corresponds to the extended position of the toggle, tend toforce the connected end of the links 43 toward and against the upperWall of the bracket. The second arm of the lever 39' is bent outwardlyso that it is readily accessible beyond the side wall of the drum and itis obvious that a movement of this lever in one direction will break thetoggle and release the snare cords, while a movement thereof in theopposite direction will set the toggle and tension of the cords. Thisarrangement permits of an instantaneous release or restoration of thesnare action and accordingly permits the drum to be instantaneouslyconverted from the share to any type of drum.

Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is cap-able of certainmodifications without departing from the spirit of my invention andsince the invention is equally applicable to all types of instrumentsemploying stretched membranes, I wish it to be understood that Icontemplate any changes within the scope of the appended claims andlikewise understood that the term drum employed in these claims isunderstood to comprehend all structures employing drum headarrangements.

I claim:

1. In a drum, and the like, a shell comprising a main body having aninset end projection, a head engaged over said projection and having aring, an annular member having connection with the end of said main bodyand provided with a reverted portion extending inwardly and downwardlytoward the head where it engages with the projection forming asubstantially closed channel, means carried by said annular memberbetween the downwardly extending portion and the wall oi. said annularmember and engaging the ring to tighten said head.

2. In a drum and the like, a shell comprising a main body having aninset end projection, a head engaged over said projection and having aring, an annular member having connection with the end of said main bodyand provided with a reverted portion extending inwardly and downwardlytoward the head where it engages with the projection forming asubstantially closed channel for housing a head tightening means andsaid ring, means carried by said annular member between the downwardlyextending portion and the wall of said annular member and engaging thering to tighten said head, said head tightening means comprisingoppositely rotatably movable cam rings associated within said channeland cooperating with said ring in the lower part of said channel, andmeans to oppositely move said cam rings.

3. In a drum and the like, a shell comprising a main body having aninset end projection, a head engaged over said projection and having aring, an annular member having connection with the end of said main bodyand provided with a reverted portion extending inwardly and downwardlytoward the head where it engages with the projection forming asubstantially closed channel for housing a head tightening means andsaid ring, a snare mounting supported on said annular member, said snaremounting comprising an adjusting member, a toggle mechanism associatedwith said mounting and movable to operative and broken positions, saidsnare being tightened in the operative, and released in the brokenposition of said toggle mechanism.

4. In a drum and the like, a shell comprising a main body, opposite endsof said body being provided with inset end projections, a head engagedover each of said projections and having a ring telescoping over saidprojections and associated with the inset portion thereof, annularmembers telescoping over the opposite; ends of said main body and havingdetachable connections therewith, each of said annular members having atits end opposite said detachable connection. an overhanging flanged partspaced from the wall of the annular member and terminating in closeproximity to the head, the space between said overhanging flanged partand the wall and the space between said inset projection causing acompound channel to be formed, one part of the channel receiving saidring of the head, head tightening means comprising oppositely rotatablymovable cam rings in another portion of said channel thereby housingsaid cam rings, and means to oppositely move said cam rings.

5. A device as embodied in, claim 4 wherein snare mountings aresup-ported on one of said annular members, one of said snare mountingscomprising an adjusting member, the other of said mountings comprising atoggle mechanism movable to operative and broken positions, the snaresbeing tightened in the operative, and released in the. broken positionof said toggle mechanism.

SIDNEY H. NEWBERRY.

